Late Comeback Sets Up Gold-Medal Game Against France
Trailing by as many as 17 points, Steph Curry and the American men’s basketball team put together a comeback for the ages against Nikola Jokic and Team Serbia, narrowly avoiding one of the Paris Olympics’ greatest upsets, with a 95-91 win in Bercy Arena.
While the United States struggled to cope with Serbia over the first three quarters, the superstars rallied late behind Curry’s incredible effort. Finally getting his Olympic moment in his very first Games, the four-time NBA Champion scored 36 points with an array of long-distance shots that have long defined his game. Curry finished 9-for-14 from beyond the arc. LeBron James played his part, too, becoming the first player in men’s basketball Olympic history to have multiple triple-doubles after scoring 16 points to go along with 12 rebounds and ten assists. The old guard stood tall late, with Kevin Durant also chipping in during key moments on both ends of the floor. Joel Embiid, who the French crowd at these Olympics has often booed, also stepped up late with some big baskets.
Embiid and the rest of Team USA can expect an even more hostile environment in the gold medal game as they take on host nation France in a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics final. Last time round, USA won in a closer-than-expected game, 87-82. Tip-off is at 3:30 EST on Saturday.
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